Life after IITB

Well, this is after a very long time. Precisely four months. I've taken up an internship position for a year in Bangalore. The transition from IIT life to life outside IIT has been difficult. It has been difficult in both terms- a) to adjust to the professional parameters of the organisation and b) to adjust to the fact that you have to live doing nothing on weekends.

To speak about Bangalore... well there is nothing much to speak about. All must have read Devegowda's statements and N.R. Narayanamurthy's outburst in news papers. Traffic situation is extremely bad, couple with it the fact that the locals are trynig to loot you in every possible manner. I think there would be a very few land-lords who would accept rent by cheque and issue a receipt for it. Even my land-lord told me that I shouldn't give him a cheque but instead pay in cash. One land-lord told me bluntly that if we pay by cheque he'll have to pay tax at 30% rate, hence he would prefer everything in cash. Even the outrageous 10 month rent that these guys ask for, he wanted in cash.

Bangalore is not meant for guys who want to commute around. After 9:30 PM, the auto guys ask for 1.5 times the meter reading. Boss give me a break, 9:30 PM is evening not night. They also flatly refuse to come to places that would fetch them only minimum rent.

I am eagerly waiting for my internship to end. I'm interested in getting back for my Ph.D. Well, let's hope the time comes soon. I cherish the work here. It is giving me a lot of exposure to various technolgies and also the work culture, which I wouldn't have had if I'd taken my Ph.D. directly after M.Tech. Also, this insight into life after academics is very much fantastic. If I had taken up a Ph.D. directly, I might have not come to know about this life. Well, it has enabled me to underestand what all should go in before deciding what job to take. I would like to thank almighty and all those who encouraged me to take up this internship before doing a Ph.D.

Last month @ IIT

Well, all good things do come to an end... My last month in IIT. Almost finished with the project... The 1st yr. M.Tech. junta gave us a farewell in the dept. Well, it was some fun. The profile reading was good. Also, faculty took their time out to attend the valfi... We were asked to share our experiences in IIT and the dept. Well, I told about my mimicking habit an the incident when Karra was almost trapped in our plot... It was fun. Ananth and Kamat have some fotos of the celebration. In the end, everybody was given a huge cup (the ones you get in Archies) and a plaque that carries a senti message.

Now, for my project. I hope to complete the report by Jun. 20th. Defend by Jun. end. And then I'm a free bird. Will go back home for a few days and then join GE on 18th Jul. Mother is so worried that she has started contacting everybody she knows in B'lore to make temporary arrangements for me. Now, some one tell her that even GE would be glad to help me ;)

Rajul was in IIT yesterday. It was her b'day. Well, she hadn't come 'coz it was her b'day but she was in Mumbai for her summer project, and had come on campus to meet her boyfriend... And since I was also there, she met me too. She become much more gorgeous than she was in school... I just forgot to wish her happy b'day when she came in front of me!! Boy, that's bad thing to happen. We (me, she and her boyfriend (Vivek)) had a nice time @ coffee shack and then she gave us a b'day treat at Baskin Robbin's. Oh God, this ice-cream has f****d my throat since then.

I guess that's it for now. Hope to get back to work.... This net usage is now going to decrease as no more 24 hr net connection in B'lore.

Hostel valfi, new format, et al.

Just got over with the hostel valfi. though wasn't tooo exciting as we'd just spent 1 yr in the hostel and 2 yrs in IIT. Not a very senti mood. Although profile reading was fun. But the Chem. junta hadn't given their profiles, hence my profile was read along with the Mech. junta. Ne ways I'd spent more time with the Mech. guys as they were my wingies.

Just the next day, we submitted an abstract to AIChE conference. Hope this stuff gets accepted. Could give me a huge boost in terms of a Ph.D. admission in the US. Recently, the new format for M.Tech. thesis submission was announced. We feel that Prof. Preeti has written the regulations and guidelines. It is visible from the statements where it is said - "Your guide is the best person to advise you on these matters, since she is experienced in writing and reviewing papers." God, I didn't know so many guides were females!! Had this been the other way round, there would have been a cry of gender discrimination. Also, I do not know how many guides from the Chemical Engg. Dept. are reviewers for international journals. Of course, they have a good command on English and writing (most are US returned, hence their GRE should be of help).

My M.Tech. project work should be complete by this weekend. I'm taking a leave for 3 days, as my guide recommened it. Then, when I return, I'll begin with report writing. Should be easy, as I've completed one part of it already and the remaining shouldn't be difficult to complete.

After a looooooong time !!

It's been a long time since I last entered a blog. Lot's of things have happened. We'd been on a trip to Alibagh in mid-April, I've almost completed 80% of my project work and much more.

Basically I was busy with the job interview at GE, Banglore. The good news is that I've been selected as a Research Assistant for a period of one year. After that, I am free to pursue my doctoral degree.

The Alibagh trip was a fantastic one... We freaked out. After a long time, I travelled by sea on a launch boat. The Gateway and Taj appear majestic. I've shot them on my handycam and plan transfer that to the comp. on Sunday. My comp. is currently being tortured. It is running simulations for 12-15 hrs daily with 2-3 hrs break in between. Well, coming back to the Alibagh trip, Nitin was a person worth being with... Ohhhh, he generated so much entertainment for us, I don't know what we would have done if he wasn't there.

The proejct work is now coming to an end... I've to tune a few PID controllers and voila, the project work is over. Then it is only typing the report in the prescribed format. Hope to complete everything by 15th June. Let's see.

Barged into Senate meeting

The senate meeting was on in full swing in the lecture theatre. BTW the senate is the apex body in IIT which decides a lot of stuff related to IIT. The presenter out there was putting forward some of his thoughts seriously. Officially the senate meeting was to end at 5 PM.

Wednesday 23 Mar 4:30 PM: In our lab, we all were gathering together to leave for Nikhil's birthday treat.

4:50 PM. We all stepped out of the lab to proceed for the treat. Suddenly some one remembered that today, Prof. Madhavan, a retired professor from our department (and a big name in control engineering) was ging to be conferred the Professor Emeritus status today at 5 PM in a ceremony at LT. All feet stopped moving and took a spontaneous turn towards the LT.

5:10 PM: Venue LT: We all thought that we are late for the function and it has already begun. I was leading the pack (this is a rare case). Hence, without even thinking about confirming what was going on inside, we opened the door and I just barged in. Seeing just too many profs around, I turned back and shouted to Ketan "abbe". That stunned the speaker for a few seconds, before he could continue. When I saw the slides that he was presenting, I understood that this is not the function we were supposed to attend. I just turned back and came out of LT even without caring to tell my friends what was going on inside. It was when Nikhil came out, that we came to know that we all had dared to barge into the senate meeting, which is one of the most high profile meetings in IIT!!

As for the conferring ceremony, we decided that Nikhil's treat gains a precedence over the ceremony and left the LT premises in a short time

Vihar Lake

Behind the Hills of IIT Bombay, is a serene and beautiful lake called the Vihar Lake. This lake is one of the sources of drinking water for the whole of Mumbai. Situated between three mountains this lake is worth devoting a whole evening. We went out there the second time, the first time being last week.

I hope to have some beautiful pictures/videos of the lake by Monday evening. Let's see if they can be uploaded somewhere.

If you want a good evening exercise along with enjoyment, the best thing is to climb up the hill behind IIT Bombay. From the hill top you can see the Powai lake, Vihar lake, whole of IIT Bombay, the Thane creek and the eastern express highway. You can also witness the landing and take off of air planes, although not very closely. But being one of the highest point in Mumbai, this offers a nice view.

Climb down the hill from the other side and you get to Vihar lake. Sit there and enjoy the evening along the banks of the lake, with waves of clear water splashing on the banks. Mind you, if you have a girl-friend/boyfriend this picnic will make her/his evening.

After that, you can come back to IIT walking along/on the pipeline. If you want to spend some more time, keep walking along the pipeline and come out at Saki-Vihar road. Enjoy tea/snacks out there and then come back to IIT/your home. It is a very nice experience. You enjoy it once, you would want to enjoy it again and again.

Fun with Linux

Linux can be fun... Especially if you want to play pranks on newbies or on someone who uses Linux 'coz he hasn't any other option.

Try this...........
When the login screen of linux appears, you can choose the language you want. Change the language to Chinese or any other language which has no remote connection to India. Now, when anybody logs in to his account, he is going to see all the stuff in that particular language. You should just see the reaction on the user's face... It is garaunteed to be a Kodak moment..

Believe me, I've tried this and have been successful till this date... but, ur victim shouldn't be a hardcore Linux guy, or the plan will not take off at all.